


The Land of Diamonds

by tiger9in1



Category: Original Work, The Wizard of Oz & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24071893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiger9in1/pseuds/tiger9in1





	1. Chapter 1

The Land of Diamonds  
“Hey, Laura, look up!” said Laura Henson’s fifteen-year-old brother, Michael.  
Twelve-year-old Laura brushed her brown hair off her face and glanced up from her well-worn copy of The Wizard of Oz, staring at him in disbelief. Usually he acted like she was invisible, as did her parents for that matter. “What is it?” she asked.  
“There!” he pointed straight ahead, blue eyes flashing with excitement.  
With difficulty, Laura peered around the seat of the well-worn minivan, which Dad was driving at full speed up a steep incline. We can’t be there yet, she thought. This was probably one of Michael’s practical jokes.  
Then she gasped. Straight ahead, towering above the surrounding blue ocean was an immense turtle’s head. Even from this distance, it still took up most of the view in front of her. Its jaws were opened wide, appearing to swallow the road in front of them. Blinding sparkles gleamed from every inch of its head, throwing wavering rainbows over the gray asphalt. Its eyes were immense sapphires, each one larger than the Henson’s house, cars, and minivan combined. It glittered with complete indifference to the endless of line of cars driving into its open maw. Laura shuddered a little.  
“Isn’t it great?” said Dad, grinning at them for a moment. “It wasn’t here yesterday. And won’t be for the next fifty years.”  
Laura nodded. They had watched the ads for Diamond Land for over a year before deciding to go. A land that appeared once every fifty years? It seemed hard to believe.  
Michael whooped with delight. “We’re almost there! We’re gonna be rich!”  
His shouting woke up four-year-old Molly in the back, and she screamed with anger at being disturbed from her nap.  
“Michael, how many times have I told you to be quiet?” shouted Mom from the front seat. “Keep it down back there!”  
“It’s not my fault!” Michael shouted back.  
While they went back to bickering as they always did, Laura carefully undid her seatbelt, took her book under her arm, and slid into the back seat with Molly.  
“It’s okay, Molly-girl,” Laura said soothingly. “You want to play the Tickle Game?”  
She held up her bookmark, a little piece of cardboard plumed with bright-colored feathers. She began tickling Molly’s flailing legs with it. Slowly, Molly stopped crying and started to giggle. Soon she was shouting, “tickle game, tickle game!”  
“That’s right,” said Laura. “You ready for the tickle monster?”  
“Yes!” said Molly, laughing and screaming as Laura dropped the bookmark and started tickling her with both hands.  
“Quiet back there!” shouted Mom again, and slowly Laura and Molly settled down. Laura looked forward again. They were almost to the mouth of the giant turtle. Even as she looked the view abruptly turned dark, and Dad drove along through a vast tunnel with his headlights on. Laura felt a ripple through her that seemed to turn her insides out for a second, as they crossed an invisible border. Molly screamed as she felt it too. Laura reached for Molly and wrapped her arms around her.  
“It’s okay,” said Laura. “I’m here, I’ve got you.”  
“A monster’s going to eat me,” said Molly. “I’m scared.”  
“Don’t be scared, Molly, I won’t let the monsters get you. You’re safe.” She reached into her pocket for a flashlight, then picked up her book. “Do you want me to read to you, Molly?”  
“Yes,” said Molly. “Read Wizard of Oz again.”  
“Sure,” said Laura. And over the next few miles, as they entered a maze of narrower tunnels and thicker darkness, Laura and Molly lost themselves in the Land of Oz.  
Once they arrived, the five Hensons rode a subway from parking to the hotel. Although still dark, this tunnel was well-lit, and though crowded, this subway was quieter than any Laura had ever been on. She marveled at that.  
Nor did she stop marveling when she reached their hotel, which was hollowed out of the surrounding stone and let off a faint greenish glow from its exterior. “What’s this stone made from?” she asked the porter. He just shrugged.  
Once they reached the lobby, however, Laura just stopped and stared. The hotel had a hollow interior, which continued upward for fifty stories or more. Laura might have lost sight of it, if gold and diamonds were not covering every inch of every surface within sight. Laura wanted to spread wings and soar to the top. Indeed, for a minute, she almost felt herself rising into the air. Then she heard excited exclamations from Mom and Dad and Michael. The three, as usual, were blabbering a mile a minute about how much that had to cost, and what they could afford when they won here and left. Laura sighed and rolled her eyes.  
As they approached the front desk, the clerk said, “Welcome to Diamond Land, where anything can happen. Since you were part of the lucky few that made it in today, we extend you our hospitality. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”  
“How much do we owe you?” said Dad.  
“No charge for the first night, and $10,000 per night afterwards. Very reasonable.” And with a stern expression at Michael, he added, “And don’t take anything off the walls, or we’ll throw you out before morning.”  
Their hotel room was amazing. No gold or diamonds here, but lovely bottles of soap, shampoo, and packages of food in the fridge. “Take it all,” said Dad, handing Laura a bag. “We need as much as we can get.” Laura sighed, but did as she was told.

The next day, they stood in a long line to ride the elevators that would take them into the park. Each of them had a tracking device embedded in the back of their neck, so they wouldn’t get lost. “Welcome to the Land of Diamonds”, announced the loudspeaker every five minutes. “Where anything can happen.”  
“I can’t wait to play their slot machines,” said Mom. “Their ads say you’re a winner every time.”  
“The poker table has all the money,” said Dad.  
“I want to ride the roller coaster and play the arcade,” said Michael.  
“Water slides! I want the water slides!” said Molly, bouncing up and down excitedly in her stroller.  
Laura just kept quiet. She liked games as much as anyone, but there was something very strange about this place. For one thing, it was huge. The maps didn’t even show the park’s boundaries, even the ones at the largest scale of a hundred miles. And the desk clerk had asked three times if they had emptied their car completely before entering the hotel. They had, of course. In anticipation of huge profits from the casinos and the legendary Diamond Exit, Dad had insisted they travel light. They had each only brought two changes of clothes and the bare minimum of toiletries, plus at least three empty bags per person, including Molly. In Laura’s case, that included three books, but since she usually carried five, her parents let it pass. Why did the desk clerk care if they emptied their car? And how come he didn’t seem to know how many stories the building had? “As many as we need,” he had said, in response to Laura’s question. That made her suspicious.  
They emerged at the top of the elevator in a train station. A big sign at the top said, “Maintown Station.” In spite of herself, Laura grinned. She had ridden the train once in her life, on a family trip years ago to Albuquerque, and loved it. There weren’t a lot of opportunities to ride one normally.  
“I’m taking the train,” she said to no one in particular. The instant they got their tickets, Mom and Dad took Molly in the direction of the nearest casino, while Michael headed for Carnival Land. Laura stayed put, breathing in the site of the station. Crowds of families shuffled by. After a few minutes of delirious excitement, she scampered through the station, looking for the shortest line. She found one line, and a train with nobody on it. “Where does this one go?” she asked the engineer.  
“The Exit.” He scratched his head. “You sure you want to go there this early in the morning?”  
“Well, no,” Laura thought. “Are there any stops before we get there?”  
The engineer grinned. “Plenty. Step up, missy. I’ll give you a ride. What’s your name?”  
“Laura. What’s yours?”  
“Stan. Nice to meet you.”


	2. Chapter 2

The countryside gleamed from every tree, every flower, every blade of grass as they clickety-clacked along. The colors were much brighter than usual, and looked almost as much alive as the greenery itself. Laura noticed no smoke came from the smokestack, because the roof was open to the sky. And though present, the sound of the wheels and engines was not deafening. “What’s the train run on?” she asked.  
“Magic,” said the engineer. “Magic powder in its wheels.”  
“Where does the magic powder come from?” she asked.  
“Don’t rightly know,” he said. “That’s not my job.”  
She asked all kinds of questions about how the engine worked, and he happily answered those. It seemed the train worked the same way as an ordinary locomotive, but without the usual source of power. She wasn’t able to get anything more out of him than “magic”. She did find out, however, that there were 25 stops between here and the Exit, which interested her immensely. Other people got on after the first couple of stops, but most got off quickly, leaving the two free to talk.  
When they reached Stop 25, after about four hours, she said, “This is my stop, I’m afraid.”   
The engineer nodded. “If you choose to stay, think about coming back and riding the train again.”  
“Thank you, Stan.” said Laura. “You’ve been very helpful.”  
Once she exited, she explored the station, which was smaller than the previous one. A few yards down from the train was a man primly dressed in a black conductor’s uniform standing next to a set of pans filled with what looked like brightly-colored sand.  
“Mark these pans, and hear me tell,” he said,  
“For what’s in these pans will serve you well.  
Red keeps what you love close to your heart,  
White will tear the monsters apart,  
Olive will shield with armor strong,  
Purple’s power can right a wrong,  
Yellow’s fire will burn the skin,  
Orange will keep those fires in,  
Periwinkle keeps you light,  
Emerald lights the darkest night,  
But salmon is worst, and must return,  
Or everything around you will shrivel and burn.”  
People passed by the strange conductor, and none of them said a word. Some looked in the pans with curiosity, but even they left after a few moments. Laura listened to his poem three times before approaching him.  
“Excuse me, Mr. Conductor?” she asked timidly. “What were you saying about these pans?”  
“It’s magic powder, miss,” said the conductor.   
“Is that the magic power the engineer told me about?” said Laura. “The kind that runs the trains?”  
“Yes, miss,” said the conductor. “The yellow powder does that.”  
“Really?” said Laura. “That seems hard to believe.”  
“Let me show you,” said the conductor. He put on a white glove and reached in, pinching one grain between his thumb and forefinger. With the other hand, he drew up a pinch of orange powder.  
“Hold out your hand,” he said.  
Curious, Laura did. He dropped the grain into it. Instantly Laura yelled as a blinding pain swept across her hand, like a burn from a hot frying pan. But the next second, the conductor dropped the orange powder on the spot. Her hand instantly became blindingly cold as the powder absorbed all the heat, then it vanished and her hand felt normal again.   
“How did that happen?” she asked.  
“The powder has energy inside it. The yellow powder releases the energy, while the orange powder absorbs it.”  
“I know about endothermic and exothermic reactions,” said Laura. “But that was strange. I’ve never seen it happen with a single grain before. And not to that degree. What’s it made from?”  
The conductor shrugged. “That’s beyond my training, but other people study it. All I know is, it is magic. Don’t you believe in magic?”  
“Not really,” said Laura. “Some people do, but most don’t these days. Mostly people say something is magic when they don’t understand how it really works.”  
The conductor smiled, and grabbed another pinch of powder. “Try this periwinkle powder.”  
He sprinkled it on her, and she felt the same almost-flight sensation as at the hotel, only much stronger. With a sudden spring, she leapt into the air. She soared to the roof of the station, twisting to land feet first. Laughing, she ran across, up one column and down another, and pushed off from the roof to sail gracefully through the air. After a few minutes of frolicking, she reluctantly landed back on the ground in front of the conductor. He tossed some of the olive powder over her. “This will protect you from getting hurt. And allow you to land back on the ground when you have to.” He winked. “Do you believe in magic now, miss?”  
“Wow,” said Laura. “Thank you, that was amazing!”  
“Thank you,” said the conductor.  
“What do the others do?” Laura asked. “I know, I listened to the poem, but I want to be sure I understood. So does red stick people together?”  
“Not exactly,” said the conductor, smiling a bit under his trim moustache. “But it strengthens the people you love, and it keeps them near you.”  
“Okay,” said Laura. “What about purple? What does it do?”  
Purple, it seemed, could reverse time for a few seconds when thrown, to catch someone who made a mistake. White can be thrown at enemies, which would then explode on contact. Emerald, when thrown, produces a bright light, which is useful to see by in the dark tunnels here.   
“Is that why the walls in the hotel glow?” asked Laura.  
“Yes, partly,” said the conductor. “Some of it is in the rocks themselves, because emerald powder veins crisscross the rocks in that part of the caverns.”  
“So it’s mined, then?” asked Laura.  
“Yes,” said the conductor. And he proceeded to tell her where each of the powders was mined from.  
“Why is salmon powder so bad? And why do you have it here if it is?”  
The conductor shuddered slightly. “I’d rather not talk about that just now,” he said.  
“That’s fine. Remind me again,” said Laura, taking a pen and paper out of her bag. “What do the other powders do? I need to write this down.”  
She had never asked so many questions in her life. No one else had let her. And instead of looking mad or bored, the conductor brightened at every question.  
“Has no one asked you this many questions before?” she asked.   
“No,” said the conductor sadly. “No one else cared. People either want my powder or they don’t, and when they do, they’re usually in a hurry.”  
“That’s too bad,” said Laura. “You’re very nice to talk to, and very nice to talk to.”  
“The same to you, miss,” said the conductor, doffing his cap.  
“How much is your powder, by the way?” she asked, giggling a bit. “Funny, I didn’t think to ask you before.”  
“Five dollars for a one-ounce bag.” He smiled. “Cheaper than anything else you’ll find here.”  
“I’ll take one bag of each. Except salmon, of course.”  
The conductor nodded. “I believe that can be arranged.”  
Carefully and deftly, the conductor scooped the powder into eight bags the same color as their contents, and waited patiently as Laura clipped the bags to her belt. She sprinkled a little periwinkle powder on them so their weight wouldn’t pull her pants down, and a little more to be sure. “How do I look?” she asked, twirling like a ballerina and rising into the air.  
“Like you belong here,” said the conductor, grinning broadly.  
“Watch me!” she said, leaping into the air and twirling again with her arms out. “I’m a helicopter! I’m a gyroscope!” She bumped into the ceiling. “This is so cool!”  
When she came down, the conductor said, “You don’t have to leave, you know. You could stay here. For as long as you want.”  
Laura paused. Stay in this pretty place, where she could bounce around like a Super-Ball? Of course she would! But…“But our hotel is so expensive,” said Laura. “Mom and Dad won’t want to stay at that price.”  
“That’s true,” said the conductor. “But there are many other cheaper places to stay. And there are lots of jobs here, if you want to work.”  
“For Mom and Dad?”  
“For you too, if you want it.”  
“Me?” Laura jumped so fast she nearly hit her head on the ceiling. “I could work? What could I do?”  
“Most places here can hire kids for simple jobs, if the kids want to,” he said. “And lots of jobs can use an assistant.” He winked. “I might consider it myself.”  
“Really? Thank you!” She threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug.  
Laura checked her watch. Five hours had passed by now. “I need to get back to Maintown Station and find my parents,” said Laura. “If we’re not planning to leave, they’re probably back at the hotel. Or the casinos.”  
The conductor stiffened suddenly, almost imperceptibly to anyone but Laura. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing.” The conductor shook himself, and appeared to recover a bit. “Go ahead, miss. I’ll see you when you come back this way. But miss,” and this time the conductor looked at her sternly, with eyes as green as emerald powder. “Stay away from the casinos, you understand? Don’t go in them, for any reason.”  
“All right. Sir,” she said, unsure of herself for the first time that day. “I won’t. I promise.”  
“Good,” said the conductor, and smiled again. He bowed. “You’re a sweet girl. Take care.”  
“Take care,” she said.  
*****************************************************************************


	3. Chapter 3

It took her only one hour to get back to the main station, because the return train didn’t stop. When she got there, she greeted her parents happily at the casino, eager to tell them what she found out. They all talked at once, and their voices ran over hers.   
“The roller coasters were amazing!” said Michael. “They climbed for almost a mile into the air, then came down in a hundred loop-the-loops! I didn’t even puke once! And the arcade has holo-rooms where you can play for hours! The pieces feel just like they’re real! And the log flumes were nothing like I’ve ever seen. They soak you each and every time, but each time you come out, you’re just as dry as before! Isn’t that cool!”  
“The casinos were even better!” said Mom. “Your dad won a million dollars at poker, and I won almost as much from the slot machines. Every one’s a winner, just like they said!”  
“But I can’t wait for the Diamond Exit tomorrow,” said Dad. “They told me about it there. They say you have a chance to win the Rainbow Star, a diamond the size of your fist that gives you all the wealth you could ever want. Why, with that, you’d never have to work again!”  
“How do you get it?” asked Michael.  
“All you have to do is exit,” said Dad. “Then you have a chance to compete for it. No one’s won yet, of course. But everyone leaves with enough wealth for a lifetime. We’ve seen it on TV. They’ve interviewed the winners.”  
“What did they say?” asked Laura.  
“Well, no one could remember the exact process,” admitted Dad. “But all of them remembered the diamonds.”  
After everyone had fallen asleep, Laura took Molly outside the room and sprinkled some of the periwinkle powder on Molly. Soon Laura and Molly were flying across the lobby, diving and dodging and walking across the ceiling until management yelled at them to go to bed. Giggling, Laura tucked Molly in.  
“Can we stay forever?” said Molly.  
“Yes, Molly,” said Laura. “Forever and ever. We just have to tell the others.”  
“Can we ride water slides?”  
“Yes. I’ll go with you, I promise.”  
****************************************************************************  
The next day, the Hensons paid $10,000 for staying another night, though not without some reluctance. “One more night, and that’s it,” said Dad. “My pocketbook can’t take this pressure.” Laura privately had her doubts, but she admitted they had to move out in any case. Now she could tell them what the conductor had said.  
After breakfast, Mom and Dad wanted to go straight back to the casinos, and drag Michael there as well. Michael seemed excited too. “I can’t wait to try those slot machines,” he said.   
“Stop!” said Laura firmly. “It’s beautiful outside. Can’t we take a walk or something?”  
“Now that you mention it,” said Mom, “There are some interesting coin machines in the Gardens near Carnival Land. Why don’t we go there?”  
The others nodded, and Laura rolled her eyes, but agreed to go anyway. The Gardens really were beautiful. Sculptures gently waved in the breeze, balancing on hairpin legs and were almost certainly enhanced by periwinkle powder. A wire model of a dragon breathed real fire, and a silver-plated model of a griffin flapped its wings and balanced on its hind legs. But the others were transfixed by a site in a broad concrete clearing in the center of the park. An elaborate machine, rising hundreds of feet into the air, had a thousand intricate parts and puzzles in it. In the center was a giant bank, filled with thousands of gold coins.   
Against her better judgement, Laura had to admit she was impressed. The machines were constantly sucking up coins through a pneumatic tube, then dropping them down a series of mazes and turns like marbles. Where it landed was normally by chance, but quick and clever people could turn a series of knobs and levels to ensure the pile came out at their section. Immediately her parents and brother sat down at a machine to try their luck. She might have done the same, but the conductor’s warning stayed with her. “Come on, Molly,” she said, taking Molly’s stroller. “Let’s look more at the Gardens.”  
They saw some amazing sights. Butterflies flew by made entirely of gemstones, and Molly laughed and begged to be let out of her stroller to follow them. Growing, living flowers were made out of gemstones too. Laura didn’t believe it at first, but Molly picked a few pearl daisies to make a bouquet, and sure enough, they were pearls. A set of buttercups in a nearby field proved to be made of yellow jasper. Even the grass was made of jade blades, interspersed with emerald weeds. This, more than anything, convinced Laura that this kingdom was magical, and not an illusion.   
Just outside the Gardens, on the side of Carnival Land, a holographic billboard advertised the Diamond Exit. “Come to Diamond Exit,” urged the sign. “Play in a water slide paradise while you wait, then take part in our fun obstacle course for your chance to win one of Diamond Land’s own Rainbow Stars. It’s that easy! Guaranteed to walk away with all the money you can carry!”  
At the bottom, nearly covered by a picture of dancing $100 bills was a bit of fine print which Laura had to read twice, and then twice more to make sure she understood it. It said, “Management not responsible for deaths occurred in the participation of Diamond Exit. Death rate greater than 75% at any given day due to exsanguination, asphyxiation…”

Laura couldn’t read any more. She recoiled in absolute horror. Was that sign saying what she thought it was saying? Did 3 out of 4 people who left here die? Exsanguination meant blood-letting, which could mean anything from an animal bite to being crushed. In any case, it was a horrible way to die.  
Taking Molly, Laura ran back into the coin clearing, shouting “Mom, Dad, Michael, come on! You’ve got to see this!”  
They didn’t even look up from their game. Mom just said, “Sweetie, what did you say?”  
“Mom, we’re in danger! The sign on the Diamond Exit sign says…”  
“Management not responsible for deaths occurred by participation in Diamond Exit,” Mom droned in a blank monotone different from her own.  
“You knew?”  
“Of course.” The monotone voice fell and Mom looked up, her blue-as-sapphire-butterfly eyes brighter as ever, and her mouth broke into a relaxed, cheerful smile. Laura remembered that smile from when she was around Molly’s age, but not since. It felt a little unnerving.  
“Really, Mom? You knew we’re going to die if we leave this place?”  
“Don’t be silly. Not all of us will. It’s just a formality. Of the five of us, one is sure to win at the Exit, and we’ll be rich. The odds are in our favor.”  
That didn’t make the slightest bit of sense to Laura. Sure, her parents had been obsessed with money, and dreamed of a life of luxury like celebrities do. But Mom had never talked this way before. She grabbed Mom’s shoulders and shook her. “Mom, don’t you get it? If we’re dead, we can’t enjoy wealth. Or anything. It won’t matter.” Then inspiration struck her. “Mom, we already have something more valuable than a thousand slot machines. Don’t you see? We have our lives. We have each other. And look around you, Mom. There’s wonders everywhere in this place, if you’d only open your eyes and look.”  
“You’re right, honey,” said Mom, cheerfully. But as Laura let go, she turned back to the slot machines and, like a zombie, sat down in front of one to play another round.  
“Dad! Mom! Michael! Listen to me!” Laura shouted, trying to shake them out of it too, trying to snap them out of the machine’s spell. But Dad didn’t move, acting like she didn’t exist. Michael stopped moving long enough to shove her to the ground before turning back to his game. None of the countless other people in the yard looked up at all. Laura was crying uncontrollably by this time. In a flash she remembered Molly, who was jumping as fast as she could to a machine terminal too. “Oh, no you don’t!” shouted Laura. In a heartbeat she grabbed Molly and shook her. “Come on Molly, wake up, wake up!” Molly shook her head, and promptly burst into tears.   
Laura held her. “Don’t cry, Molly, it’s okay.” Reluctantly, she tore her eyes from the rest of her family and peered into Molly’s little face. Molly was so much like herself, she realized. The same light brown hair she’d had at that age, the same grey eyes, unlike the rest of the family. Laura stopped crying and forced a smile. “You want to get some ice cream?” Molly grinned. She had to be brave for Molly. “Okay, let’s go.”  
******************************************************************************


	4. Chapter 4

Getting ice cream proved difficult at first, as the nearest restaurants were inside the casinos or Carnival Land. But eventually Laura and Molly hopped aboard another train, and the first stop took them into a more ordinary-town, with the name Garnetsville. Laura found a fast-food diner in the center of town, and ordered two burgers, two waters, and one large ice-cream shake. Except for them, the diner was empty.  
“Where did you two come from?” asked the lady behind the counter, a plump blond woman in her twenties with a tag that said ‘Sandy’. “You planning to stay?”  
“If we can,” said Laura. “We’re from Connersville, Indiana.”  
“That’s outside the park,” said Sandy. “Why are you here, instead of Maintown?”  
So Laura explained how her last two days had gone. She started sobbing again as she recalled her family at the slot machine, and Sandy brought another milkshake for her.   
“That’s rough,” she said. “My family left years ago. I was the only one who stayed.”  
“I’m sorry,” said Laura.  
“Don’t be,” said Sandy. “I have a good life here. I’ve made friends, and earn a decent living. And hardly anyone comes in here except locals.”  
“Wait a minute,” said Laura. “Your family left years ago. Does that mean you came here fifty years ago? You look so young.”  
“In Diamond Land, we age as fast as we want to,” said Sandy. “And no one ever gets sick.”  
“Why do people die when they leave?”  
Sandy looked downcast. “What do you expect? This land exists outside of space and time, except for twice a century. No one knows why, exactly. But of course leaving is difficult. Did you feel the jolt when you crossed the border?”  
“Yes.”  
“Going back now is just like that, only much harder since we’re further away. That makes it dangerous.”  
“Then why leave then? Why encourage others to leave?”  
Sandy sighed. “I don’t know. And sometimes I wonder. My parents played the slot machines, and wouldn’t stop. Sometimes I think, maybe I could have done something to help, to stop them somehow. And I’ll never know if they made it or not.” She refilled Laura’s water glass. “You’re lucky. You have a sister.”  
*****************************************************************************  
After thanking Sandy, Laura and Molly took another train back to Station 25. Laura looked around, spotting the conductor in seconds. “Is it true?” she said, once she was within shouting distance. “Is it true that we’ll die if we leave?”  
The conductor sighed. “I’m not supposed to tell you,” he said. “But yes. If you had left yesterday, you might have been fine. And if your family wanted to stay. But since your family’s been caught by the casinos, it may already be too late.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“The salmon powder.” The conductor pointed to it. “The dirty secret in this business. It makes everyone exposed to it vulnerable to temptation. It’s everywhere in the casinos, everywhere in Carnival Land. People exposed to it become zombies, vulnerable to the next new game.”  
And then herded to the exit, thought Laura. “What happens when they reach the exit?”  
“Let me put it this way,” said the conductor. “None of the survivors had been exposed to the salmon powder.”  
Laura fell silent, thinking wildly. “Is there a way to reverse it?” she finally asked.  
“Sadly, no. Only time can do that. It takes at least 10 years to wear off a single dose.”  
“What about Molly? She was in the casino too.”  
The conductor removed a scanner from his pocket and scanned both Molly and the stroller. “She does have some of the powder on her. Not enough to feel the effect, but it would still be dangerous for her to leave.”  
Just then another train pulled in, and the rest of the Hensons jumped out. “What are you doing here?” asked Laura in astonishment.  
“We’re leaving, of course,” said Dad. “Rainbow Star, here we come.”  
“You’ve already paid for another night at the hotel,” said Laura. “You don’t want to waste $10,000, do you?” Nothing annoyed her parents more than wasting money.  
“Oh, nonsense,” said Mom. “We’ll get back more than enough. I’ll take that.” In a flash, before Laura could stop her, Mom grabbed the stroller with Molly in it and began wheeling toward the exit.   
“Stop!” shouted Laura, running after them, “Stop! Listen to me! I need to tell you something!” But they never heard her, and didn’t even slow down as they hopped onto a moving walkway. Just before the walkway bent out of sight, she turned back for a last look at the conductor, now a speck in the distance. He gave her a brief salute, then the walkway turned and he was gone.  
****************************************************************************  
Laura managed to catch up to the rest of her family as they went through a turnstile. As they did, a series of conveyor belts separated them into groups. The rest of the Henson family was filed onto the “Diesel” walkway, which was apparently for large groups, while Laura’s smaller, less-crowded one for singles said “Pivot”. She took it, running as fast as she could, hoping to run into them again. She emerged at the front of a giant line of people, all swiftly walking toward the entrance. She looked just in time to see the rest of her family arrive at the back. “Mom, Dad, Molly!” She surged toward them, elbowing people out of the way and jiggling the powder bags on her belt. That gave her an idea. Putting on the protective gloves in her bag, she removed a pinch of yellow powder and hurled it toward her family with all her might. They bellowed like wild animals as the powder burned their faces and arms. But in a flash she threw a handful of orange powder after the first, which cooled their burns. They looked at her in astonishment.  
“Now will you listen to me?” said Laura. “You three have never once listened to what I have to say. But you will now. We’re not going to leave, not now, not ever. You know why? Because the trip back will kill us. Don’t you remember the fine print on those signs? You told me you knew.”  
There was silence as that message sunk in. To drive the point home, yet another holographic billboard started playing the same ad about the Diamond Exit. “Look at the fine print,” said Laura, and sure enough, it showed the same message as before.  
Her parents and brother turned pale, and sat down right in the middle of the line. The crowd shuffled around them like nothing had happened. “What do we do? Where do we go?”  
“We’re going to leave,” said Laura. “And catch the train to Garnetsville. The conductor at the front will explain how. And buy some magic powder while you’re at it. Anything but salmon. Check this out.” And she threw periwinkle powder on them, and all of them rose into the air. Her brother whooped, and began chasing Laura around and around the station. Mom and Dad weren’t far behind, laughing as they hadn’t in years. Laura smiled. This was the way things should be.  
A station attendant approached them. “Pardon me, but it’s against the rules to fly indoors.”  
“Then lead the way out,” said Laura. We’re ready…where’s Molly?”  
In the excitement, Molly had slipped further to the exit. She now stood on a high wooden tower, at the top of the largest waterslide any of them had seen. “Water slide, water slide shouted Molly, and slid down.  
“Molly!” shouted Mom, and rushed for the ladder.  
“No!” said Laura, grabbing her hand. “I’ll get her back, and meet you at Garnetsville. You guys go to the exit with attendant. He’ll take care of you.” And she placed all the coins she had into the attendant’s hand. “Do not let them come back this way. Keep them out for the next fifty years.”  
The attendant nodded, and Laura took off for the ladder. She slid down the slide. It spiraled and whirled down a heart-stopping five stories, and left her thoroughly soaked. But as she emerged from the slide, her clothes were as dry as before. How about that, Michael was right.  
She spotted Molly just as she went through another turnstile labeled “Point of No Return”. She grabbed Molly, who was giggling. “That was the best waterslide ever!” said Molly, giggling.  
“Yes, Molly, it was,” said Laura. “But now we have to go.”  
“You can’t turn back now,” said the attendant at the turnstile. That was the point of no return. You have to go on,” he said, pointing to a large, looming tunnel, “or stay here forever.”  
Laura’s heart sank. How would she and Molly make it through any type of obstacle, much less one that could kill them. Both she and Molly shrank back from the tunnel in fear. “Are there monsters?” said Molly. “Is the witch going to get us?”  
“Of course not,” said Laura, hugging Molly tight. “No witches or monsters will get you when I’m around.” She wasn’t sure how she could promise that. She could go by herself, but that would mean leaving Molly here alone, forever. She couldn’t do that. They’d have to try together, or not at all.  
Then she felt a scratching from the inside of her glove. She pulled it out, and it turned out to be the paper she had written the different powders on. Well, this was no time to be shy. If these didn’t work, nothing would. She dusted herself and Molly with a layer of olive powder, followed by layers of red and orange, and a little yellow and periwinkle for good measure. She had used up most of the powder by the time she was done. She took Molly’s hand and, taking a deep breath, she stepped through the black tunnel.  
******************************************************************************


	5. Chapter 5

It was pitch-black inside the tunnel, and at first, no sound but their own breathing and the too-loud pounding of their hearts. Then a series of growls and rasps came from just behind them. “Laura, help me!” shouted Molly.  
Laura grabbed a handful of emerald powder and threw it straight in the air. The powder vaporized and turned into bright glowing yellow-green light. It illuminated every corner of the tunnel. Laura saw they were surrounded by dark furry monsters with long sharp teeth, and one of them had seized Molly’s torso. In an instant, Laura pulled out white powder and one by one, threw handfuls in each monster’s face. The monsters hit exploded into the dust, and the others fled to the dark recesses of another tunnel. Laura pulled Molly to her feet, brushed off the brown dirt. “Are you hurt, Molly?” Molly shook her head, and she wasn’t bleeding. So they continued on their way.  
The tunnel gradually opened up into an underground forest, lit by soft green light like the hotel. Each leaf shone bright like jade or emerald, and sparkling light gleamed off jeweled fruit of every description. “Want the fruit!” said Molly plaintively.  
“No,” said Laura. “We need to keep moving if we’re going to live.”  
The road moved upward in a winding incline. The colors grew brighter as they went. A sapphire butterfly landed on her shoulder. Laura spotted insects made of topaz travelling across their path, but she ignored them and moved on. The colors of the path brightened and Laura saw it was no longer dirt, but bright-colored pebbles. As they continued, the pathway’s pebbles grew larger and larger, until it became difficult to walk on them. “My feet hurt,” Molly complained. “I want to fly.”  
“We can’t fly yet,” said Laura. “We need to save the powder. But if you want, get on my back and I’ll carry you.”  
As Laura knelt down, she picked up one especially large pebble, and saw it was a diamond. She pocketed it, but suspected she shouldn’t. It was hard work carrying Molly without the powder, so she often stopped. Each time she did, she picked up diamonds, pearls, and other gemstones.  
The path abruptly ended under a massive mound of giant boulders shaped like circular gemstones, larger than any she knew existed. She placed her foot on the first boulder, but it slipped off. The surface of all the boulders was slick with condensing mist. “We can’t climb these,” said Laura. “We need periwinkle powder.”  
Just then a growl from the treetops attracted her attention. Waving its tail, a giant tiger sat on a tree branch. With a roar it sprung at Laura and Molly, followed by a whole host of leopards, jaguars, and ocelots from different branches of the tree. As they did, they all unfolded massive pairs of wings and glided toward the girls. Laura drew out what remained of her white powder and threw it at them. The first few cats exploded, but more continued to rain down on them. Laura couldn’t see. She felt the claws and teeth on her skin, but they didn’t seem able to penetrate their skin. Instead, they scraped across with a grinding sound like rock on hard glass. But how long could they stand it? Laura then remembered the yellow powder. Taking a giant handful with her glove, she threw it in the tiger’s face. He roared in utter agony and staggered backward. Taking heart, Laura grabbed more yellow powder, throwing it in every direction. Within seconds every cat in the group was rolling on the ground, howling and screaming like a host of demons. The cries attracted a few more stragglers, two more tigers and a leopard. They circled in lazy flight over her head. Laura reached in her bag, but she had used up all the yellow powder. Shouting her defiance, she grabbed a diamond in each hand and threw them at the tigers as they passed. One diamond hit a tiger in the head, the other bruised the leopard’s flank. They turned tail and flew back into the trees. The other landed right in front of her, his burning yellow eyes taunting her. She grabbed the last handful of diamonds from her pocket and threw them as hard as she could at the tiger’s head. He staggered back, dazed. She stepped forward, grabbed a handful of jagged sand from the ground, throwing it into the tiger’ eyes. He snarled in rage and swiped his paw, but that drove the shards in deeper. With a last roar of rage, he retreated back into the jungle.  
Laura took a minute to get her breath, then threw the last bit of periwinkle powder over her and Molly. They rose into the air gently. The powder was not enough to lift them over the boulders, but it helped them scramble over them. As the olive powder wore off too, they began to get scrapes and cuts from the jagged gemstones. They continued upward over the massive pile, until at last they stood on the last boulder and looked down.  
Directly below them lay a massive gap, thousands of feet down, from which came a constant roar of the wind. Laura shuddered and held her head. She was not afraid of all heights, but a fall from that could kill you, periwinkle powder or not. They stood on a narrow gap of boulders that could give way any second and send them tumbling into the abyss. Carrying Molly on her back, Laura picked her way around the cold, slippery diamond boulders with the greatest of care. It felt like an eternity when they spotted a bridge in the distance.  
At least, Laura thought it was a bridge. But as they approached, she saw it was a ladder leading up to what appeared to be another ladder stretched across the abyss. Then she saw what it was. “Monkey bars!” she said. “Molly, doesn’t that look like fun? Don’t you want to play on the monkey bars? Just like at home!” She couldn’t see Molly’s face, but she felt her shake her head, and heard her whimper. Laura couldn’t blame her. She’d never been able to do the monkey bars, either. They always tore into her hands. “Come on, Molly, we just need to get over this one thing, and then we can go home.” She prayed there wouldn’t be any more monsters.   
They approached the ladder. Slowly and carefully, Laura started to climb. Put one foot in front of the other, she thought. Steady now. The two climbed, inch by inch, over the top of the monkey bars. The rungs were further apart than she thought. It made climbing very unsteady. When she had made it halfway across, she spotted a dark shape hurtling upward from below. As it got closer, it separated, and she gasped in horror. She recognized them. It was the Wicked Witch of the West, and her army of winged monkeys, as she had always pictured them. The witch cackled from the top of her broomstick, and the flock circled lower and lower, hairy hands reaching to pull them off. Molly screamed as two of the monkeys grabbed her arms and tugged her off Laura’s back. “Molly!” she cried helplessly.  
But as she hunkered down, prepared for the worst, she realized Molly’s screams weren’t growing fainter. She looked up, and saw a chain of monkeys holding on to Molly, wings straining with effort. But Molly didn’t budge. Some invisible cord was connecting her to Laura. “Get her, get her!” shouted the witch. The monkeys struggled frantically to obey. At last, with an audible snap, the monkeys flew away with Molly while Laura lost her grip on the bars and fell off. Falling down through the abyss, watching the monkeys take her sister away, Laura reached into her bag and drew out all the purple powder she had, threw it into the air…  
And she was perched on the monkey bars again, watching the flocks of monkeys and witch grow closer and closer. She dropped all the empty bags and drew out the last remaining one, dumping all the red powder over herself and Molly. As the monkeys swooped to grab her and Molly from the top, she gripped the bars with all her might and swung down. From one bar to another she swung, amazed at her own agility. The monkeys tried their best to follow, but her speed went unchecked. A third of the way to go, now a quarter, now a fifth. From Molly’s hair dropped red and suspiciously salmon-looking powder. Before Laura’s eyes the monkey bars wavered. They no longer appeared rusty, but shining with gold. The other side spread out in a field covered with gold and diamonds and large gemstones. One large one danced in front of her, her hand reaching out to seize it…  
“No!” Laura shouted, and withdrew her hand. She hung from the next-to-last monkey bar, the ladder almost in reach. Her free hand gripped nothing but air where a second before, she had seen a diamond. She would have surely fallen had she actually gripped it. But now what to do? The monkeys had almost caught up, and the next bar was out of reach. She stretched and strained, but she couldn’t reach it.  
“Molly, take my hand!” When Molly did, she lowered her as far as possible, and desperately began to swing back and forth. The monkeys were almost upon them, the wicked witch cackling in delight. Finally, on the last swing, Laura let go and hurled Molly toward the ladder as hard as she could. Molly gripped the ladder and pulled herself upward. “Run, Molly!” shouted Laura, batting at the monkeys with her free hand. But Molly couldn’t run. She was held by the same invisible elastic as before. The witch cackled in delight, and her monkeys had almost reached her. Desperately, she reached into her pockets one last time. To her surprise, they closed on something hard. Out of her pocket she drew the blue butterfly, made of one solid piece of sapphire and harder than rock. Gripping it tightly, she aimed…  
…and it hit Molly in the back. The invisible elastic broke and Molly surged forward, just avoiding the grip of the monkey diving for her. She dove into the bushes. As another monkey pried Laura’s fingers from the bars, she grabbed him with her other hand, hurtling herself at the witch. Their combined weight knocked the witch from her broomstick, and the two continued falling, falling, falling…

“Laura?”  
The voice was soft and gentle, and Laura thought she heard the tinkling of bells behind it. She opened her eyes, and was not able to see. Not that there was a void of black or white, or anything else she could name. There was simply nothing to see.  
“Where am I?” she thought.   
“You and your family are safe, thanks to your bravery,” replied the Voice. “There have been many who have come this way, many clever and fit, but none so brave, or self-sacrificing.”  
“Why can’t I see?” said Laura.  
“There’s nothing to see in this part of the boundary. But in a few minutes, I’ll set you back on Earth. But I do not want you to go empty-handed.”  
In the void, where there was nothing to see, a rainbow of colors formed and swirled around each other to form a glittering teardrop diamond an inch long.  
“This is the true Rainbow Star,” said the Voice. “Nothing as big or flashy as the ads. But more powerful. Much more powerful.” The diamond grew a gold chain necklace, then they both vanished. But Laura felt the weight of the necklace settle on her skin.  
“Thank you,” said Laura. “But I don’t deserve it. I threw a stone at Molly.”  
“You had to do that,” said the Voice. “You couldn’t have broken the red powder’s power if you hadn’t. I saw everything.”  
“Are you the witch?” asked Laura nervously.   
“I am the witch, the monkeys, the tigers, leopards, ocelots, butterflies, monsters, even the butterflies, grass and boulders. But most of all I am myself. I am the Land of Diamonds.”  
And Laura’s vision filled with a giant turtle’s head, made entirely of diamonds, with a deep blue sapphire eye staring straight into her soul. Laura shivered, but flushed with pride too. “Thank you, great one.”  
The turtle chuckled. “You amuse me, little questioner. I wish you could return with me, but that is impossible. If you want to come back, you’ll have to find your own way.”  
Laura felt a pang in her heart. “I’ll try. Take care of my family. And tell them…”Laura’s lip trembled. “Tell them that I love them.”  
“They will know,” said the turtle. “Your life will not be easy, but you will always have my blessing. And better yet, my gratitude.”  
“Why?”  
“For showing me that some of you small ones have figured it out. That it is still possible for love to defeat any amount of temptation. That among you little ones on Earth, some of you know that life is a greater gift than any amount of wealth. And because of that,” said the turtle. “I bestow upon you a greater gift. You will keep your memories of this place, a gift I have not given to any other human. I only insist on one thing; spread the word. Reveal your truth to the world.”  
“What about Molly?”  
“She would not remember in any case; she’s too young. But you will have years to tell her your shared story.”  
“Thank you, great turtle.”  
“You’re welcome. Now go, little Laura, and be well.”  
******************************************************************************  
Laura did return to Earth, along with her sister Molly. They had to sell their house, but their aunt Mary, who lived in nearby Oregon, agreed to adopt them as her children. Because of the Rainbow Star, Laura had all the money she needed, and much more to give away to anyone who needed it. As she grew up, she told her story, writing a book, eventually becoming a lecturer. Molly never quite remembered what happened in the Land of Diamonds, but experienced vivid dreams of rainbows and gemstone insects as she grew up. She painted them into colorful pictures in her spare time. Later, she became a professional gemologist, finally opening her own jewelry shop and painting pictures in her spare time. The two sisters always remained close, calling each other almost every day.  
And some days, Laura walked along the coastline, watching for the diamond-covered turtle to return. And her mind, turning as always to thoughts of her family. They could be a pain sometimes, but they were her family, and she knew deep down they always loved her. She hoped they were happy, in their Land of Diamonds on the turtle’s back. The magical land outside of space and time.


End file.
